Examples Of Similes In Macbeth

Kailie Coles

Mrs. Hendricks

CLR 12-3

23 January, 2016

If someone offered you a glimpse into your future, would you accept it? An ambitious warrior made that mistake and it tore a kingdom apart. The tragic play, Macbeth, was written by William Shakespeare and tells the story of a power driven and ruthless Thane and then King. Macbeth came upon three witches that filled his mind with prophecies that essentially set him up for failure and proved that he has little to no will power. Just as his wife, Lady Macbeth, pushed and hounded him to commit crimes and sin to fulfill her own greed. Macbeth tells the story of misfortune and woe of a King in the 11th century, battling apprehension and beliefs that he is unfit to rule a country. After

A simile is defined as a comparison using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. However Shakespeare uses similes quite often in his works to show an exaggerated emotion or a strong comparison. A simile in the following quote

Another example of a simile is as shown in the quote

“And pity, like a naked new-born babe…” (I, VII, 21)

This was in the midst of Macbeth debating on whether to kill King Duncan or not; Macbeth compares the innocence and purity of a new born baby to what the kingdom would feel for King Duncan if he were to be murdered. A third and final example of similes in Macbeth is presented as

“To beguile the time

Look like the time; bear welcome in your eye…” (I, V, 68-69)

Lady Macbeth is attempting to persuade Macbeth to commit to the murder of King Dunacan while giving him reassurance that he should also be welcoming. Although they're deceiving the time and soiling the occasion, Macbeths hospitality is being compared to that of times.

The second literary device that Shakespeare uses is metaphors. A metaphor is similar to a simile, however, a metaphor doesn't use ‘like’ or ‘as’ to compare. Shakespeare uses the power of metaphors to show a comparison, much like a simile. An example of a metaphor